Living In Ottawa?

Question

I am considering moving to Ottawa and I was interested in the cost of living ,in terms of rent for one bedroom and one bathroom apartments ,food, entertainment and the city's life style.

Any feedback is appreciated.

Answer 1

Ottawa is one of the cleanest, nicest and most importantly

Safest cities in Canada.

Queen Victoria chose it as Canada's capital because of

the location - between two larger cities, Montreal and Toronto, and also for safety reasons should there be a gov.t upriding.  She had great Intution!

I've lived here all my life... We have many shopping Centres,

and large outlet chains (The Gap, Sears, name it)!

The movie theaters are great, the transit system wonderful,

(every 20 min.'s most days to 1/2 hour at night/weekends), and you can access almost anything - go from West Ottawa to East cheaply.

We have many museums and art galleries, due to the tourism.. Eating is great.. You can eat on the Byward Market, find great dining on the water, or fast food almost anywhere!

You can paddle-boat or rent a canoe at Dow's Lake in the heart of Ottawa, also.  And then go eat dinner.

Clubs are also plentiful, especially downtown.  There is also the Casino in Gatineau, a short jump over the Bridge, and accessible by Outaouais bus..

It is relatively cheaper to live here.  Stick with renting through a reputable company.  It is on the average about $800.00 to $1,000.00/for a 1 bdrm., but a clean, good one. and  $850.00 to $1, 150./per month for a 2 bdrm, but the higher the prices, the more amenities.  A lot of these include pools.

I love it here.  I don't often have to go further than downtown to do almost anything!  And the bikepaths are scenic.

Answer 2

Ottawa is above average in terms of cost of living..depending on the location of your apartment, it could range from $500 to $900 in rent. Students typically split rent on houses and 3-4 bedroom apartments to cut down on cost.

Entertainment is decent, but some artists tend to skip the city on their way from Montreal to Toronto (or vice versa). There are a couple of bars that have cover charges, but nothing at all like those in Montreal or Toronto.

Food is about the average, an average of 8 to 12 dollars per meal in restaurants (without beverage)..and most of the pricy locations are downtown and in the Market areas.

Ottawa has a very diverse life style. You have the rich, the poor, the country, the city, and the foreign...The difference being it's in a smaller, non-threatening locale. Ottawa is very conservative.

Hope this helps either way, personally I like it because it's not too big, and I can easily visit Montreal and Toronto when I want.

good luck!